A former Transportation Security Administration officer pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges of accepting cash in exchange for allowing illegal prescription painkillers to pass through airport security without detection.

Christopher Allen, 46, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., pleaded guilty to extortion and receipt of a bribe, the U.S. attorney's office said.

Authorities say Allen accepted cash from a trafficker to ensure that the trafficker would not be stopped by TSA officers as he carried oxycodone pills through airport security on his way to Connecticut.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The CBS 3 I-Team has learned that a Catholic priest who was removed from the ministry over sex abuse allegations now holds a sensitive security post at Philadelphia International Airport.

The security checkpoint between Terminals D and E is a busy place where thousands of people – including lots of kids – pass through every day. But you might not believe who the I-Team observed working as a TSA supervisor at that checkpoint this week: Thomas Harkins.

Until 2002, Harkins was a Catholic priest working at churches across South Jersey. But the Diocese of Camden removed him from ministry because it found he sexually abused two young girls. Now, in a new lawsuit, a third woman is claiming she also is one of Harkins’ victims.

The I-Team asked Harkins about the suit as he was leaving his shift at the airport.

“I have nothing to say,” was Harkins’ reply.

The new lawsuit, filed in federal court against the Camden Diocese says quite a bit. It accuses Harkins of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl 10 to 15 times in 1980 and 1981.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the alleged victim, claims the abuse occurred while Harkins was a priest at Saint Anthony of Padua parish in Hammonton, NJ, with one assault even occurring in Harkins’ bedroom at the rectory.

The I-Team asked Harkins if the traveling public should be worried.

“No, they shouldn’t be,” he said.

“The public should not be worried with you in a position like this despite your past?” reporter Ben Simmoneau asked.

“I have nothing to say,” Harkins repeated.

He then used his TSA badge to walk into a restricted area where our cameras could not follow.

“They should know who they’re hiring,” said Karen Polesir, a Philadelphia spokeswoman with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). She believes Harkins’ TSA job is inappropriate.

“As the public, we are screened to our underwear getting on a plane, and yet they hire a man like that.”

A TSA official tells the I-Team Harkins’ title is “Transportation Security Manager, Baggage,” meaning he deals mostly with luggage, not passengers.

“Sure, that’s his title,” Polesir said. “That doesn’t mean that’s where he stays, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t fill other roles when necessary.”

The TSA says all its employees go through a criminal background check before they’re hired, but because these cases are so old, criminal charges were not filed. A spokesman says the Camden Diocese settled the first two lawsuits with Harkins’ accusers–it has not seen this suit just yet.

TSA has announced it plans to fire seven employees related to a bribery scandal that involved at least 10 TSA employees at Philadelphia International Airport.

In a news release, House Transportation Committee chair John Mica (R-FL) said “There’s a TSA disaster every week, and the security meltdown gets more and more outrageous. Who knows what’s coming next. If you thought the meltdowns in New York, Newark, Palm Beach, Honolulu, Charlotte, Los Angeles and Fort Myers were bad enough, now we have Philadelphia.”

USA Today reports that court records indicate former training supervisor Shanon Gilliam was sentenced June 7th after pleading guilty to demanding $1,000 from co-workers to take certification tests. Ten workers were removed from their duties when the scandal was first uncovered in November of last year, and three have since resigned. TSA has notified the other seven that they will be terminated.

"TSA holds all of its employees to the highest standards of conduct and accountability," said Chris McLaughlin, assistant TSA administrator for security operations. "The decision to remove these employees affirms our strong commitment to our vital security mission and the safety of the traveling public."

Mica said that TSA reforms signed into law in February can’t come soon enough. "Transitioning to private security operations under federal standards and supervision will get TSA out of the HR business and back into the security business. This will allow TSA to refocus its attention on security, analyzing intelligence, and setting the highest risk-based security standards.

“Earlier this week, TSA granted the first application under the new reforms to allow an airport to convert to the private-federal screening model. We will bring onboard the other 400-plus U.S. airports that still operate under the Soviet-style all-federal screening model."

At approximately 11:30 am EDT, the White House removed a petition about the TSA airport screening procedures from the White House "We the People" website. About 22,500 of the 25,000 signatures necessary for a response from the Administration were obtained when the White House unexpectedly cut short the time period for the petition. The site also went down for "maintenance" following an article in Wired that sought support for the campaign.

A video clip shot yesterday at Columbus Ohio Airport illustrates how the Transportation Security Administration has dreamed up a bizarre new way to waste time and taxpayer dollars – by testing drinks purchased by travelers for explosives inside the airport long after they have already passed security...

The footage shows TSA agents walking around a departure lounge asking to test passengers’ drinks for explosive residue with a swab they hold over the liquid.

“Now remember that this is inside the terminal, well beyond the security check and purchased inside the terminal…just people waiting to get on the plane,” writes the You Tube user who uploaded the video...

A company that supplies controversial passenger-screening machines for U.S. airports is under suspicion for possibly manipulating tests on privacy software designed to prevent the machines from producing graphic body images.

The Transportation Security Administration sent a letter Nov. 9 to the parent company of Rapiscan, the maker of backscatter machines, requesting information about the testing of the software to determine if there was malfeasance.

The machines use backscatter radiation to detect objects concealed beneath clothes. But after complaints from privacy groups and others that the machines produce graphic images of passenger’s bodies, the government ordered the machines be outfitted with privacy software by June to replace the invasive images with more generic ones that simply show a chalk-like outline of a body.

While L-3 Communications, the maker of another brand of scanners used in airports, successfully developed the privacy software for its machines, Rapiscan was having problems with its software, according to Bloomberg.

The testing of the software, done earlier this year to determine if it met privacy requirements, was conducted by a third party, so it’s not immediately clear how Rapiscan might have manipulated the tests.

At a hearing on Thursday before the House Transportation Security Subcommittee, Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) asked John Sanders, assistant administrator for TSA’s office of security capabilities, this very question. Sanders replied obliquely that “before [a test] gets underway, we might believe the system is on one configuration when it’s not in that configuration.”

Sanders said that TSA has no evidence yet that the vendor did manipulate the tests, but is looking into the matter.

“At this point we don’t know what has occurred,” Sanders said. “We are in contact with the vendor. We are working with them to get to the bottom of it.”

The vendor has denied any wrongdoing.

“At no time did Rapiscan falsify test data or any information related to this technology or the test,” Peter Kant, an executive vice president with the company, told Bloomberg.

DHS has spent about $90 million replacing traditional magnetometers with the controversial body-scanning machines.

Rapiscan has a contract to produce 500 machines for the TSA at a cost of about $180,000 each. The company could be fined and barred from participating in government contracts, or employees could face prison terms if it is found to have defrauded the government.

It’s not the first time Rapiscan has been at the center of testing problems with the machines. The company previously had problems with a “calculation error” in safety tests that showed the machines were emitting radiation levels that were 10 times higher than expected.

It turned out the company’s technicians weren’t following protocol in conducting the tests. They were supposed to test radiation levels of machines in the field 10 times in a row, and then divide the results by 10 to produce an average radiation measurement. But the testers failed to divide the results by 10, producing false numbers.

A recent Wired.com three-part series examined the constitutionality, effectiveness and health concerns of the scanners, which were never tested on mice or other biological equivalents to determine the scanners’ health risks to humans.

Another TSA Screener Caught Stealing iPads At JFKAgency 'Working Cooperatively With Port Authority' Following The Arrest

A baggage screener working at JFK airport in New York has been arrested and charged with stealing iPads and other electronic devices from passenger's luggage. Sean Henry was taken into custody Tuesday following a sting operation that was conducted jointly by TSA and the Port Authority Police Department.

I always look closely when I open my luggage and find a TSA Screen Noticed inside, but so far I have never found anything missing. I love it when I have been diving for over a week since when they open my dive bag up, they are in for a big surprise. Ever smell a wet suit after 20 dives and only salt water rinses?

SUPPORTING MEMBER

BobWest Nyack Aviation, L.L.C. New York, New York - East Hampton, New York & Warwick, New York 631.374.9652rkittine@aol.com WA2YDV

U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) executives said they will use new approaches to increase enrollment in “Pre-Check,” a program that pre-screens airline passengers for security risks and helps smooth the flow of people through airport security lines. Airport executives complain the program has gone underused.Pre-Check is part of the TSA’s “intelligence-driven, risk-based” security strategy. Under the program, passengers agree to provide the agency with information about themselves before they travel within the U.S. Eligible passengers receive airline boarding passes with their program status embedded in the barcode. The TSA’s transportation security officers read the barcodes and refer Pre-Check passengers to expedited screening lanes.

Radio talk show host and ardent Homeland Security critic Alex Jones was detained by the TSA at Austin-Bergstrom airport earlier today and threatened with arrest for refusing to take his shoes off at a security checkpoint.

Traveling to New York to appear on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight, Jones had already showed his ID as he approached the metal detector. Jones and colleague Rob Dew noticed that a large number of people across all age ranges were not removing their shoes as they walked through the metal detector. The x-ray body scanners were not in use.

As soon as he approached security, Jones was addressed by a TSA screener who said, “Hello Mr. Jones,” indicating that she knew who he was, and immediately ordered him to remove his shoes.

When Jones refused, citing the fact that innumerable other people had not removed their shoes, the TSA screener claimed that only under 12's and over 75's were not mandated to remove footwear under TSA policy.

When Jones contested the point, arguing that numerous travelers in their 40's had not removed their shoes, other TSA agents ordered him to take off his shoes, before Jones was approached by a police officer who immediately got in his face and started threatening him with arrest.

Despite Jones’ protests that he was clearly being discriminated against because he was a known critic of the TSA (the rest of the TSA screeners also knew him by name), the officer growled, “Take your damn shoes off or I’m gonna arrest you.”

Not even giving Jones the option to leave the airport, the cop continued with threats to arrest Jones and prevent him from flying as the radio host threatened to file a lawsuit for civil rights violations.

One of Jones’ primary concerns regarding the removal of shoes was the fact that he had caught athletes foot from that very process in another airport years previously, meaning that he now carries a spare pair of socks to change into when he boards the aircraft. Jones emphasized that he was not a “clean freak” but that he never encountered such issues before having to take his shoes off at TSA security.

Eventually agreeing to remove his shoes, Jones then walked towards the metal detector as the cop leaned over to talk to the TSA agents. After Jones had already passed through the metal detector, a ‘beep’ was sounded and TSA agents began laughing. Jones later said it was obvious that TSA screeners had set the metal detector off themselves, possibly by order of the officer, so that they could harass Jones further. Other travelers have reported that TSA agents routinely set off the metal detector themselves in order to manufacture a justification for further harassment.

The officer continued to detain Jones as he talked to other cops. Despite the officer seemingly wanting to take further action, TSA management, presumably aware of the potential scandal that could ensue, said they were happy to let Jones go on his way.

Jones is now considering a civil rights lawsuit against the TSA for discrimination. As we have previously documented, journalists who are critical of the TSA are routinely targeted for harassment.

CNN reporter Drew Griffin was put on a TSA watch list immediately after he filed reports critical of the organization back in 2008. Conservative radio host and Breitbart Editor Dana Loesch is also habitually groped by TSA screeners whenever she travels.

Following the national opt out day protest in 2010, the TSA was forced to admit that it had kept records on Alex Jones and Matt Drudge, another prominent TSA critic, but refused to release details even after a FOIA request by former Congressman Bob Barr.

Political figures who have been critical of the TSA such as Rand Paul and Ron Paul have also been singled out for harassment and interrogation by the federal agency.

Video of the entire confrontation was recorded and will be added to this story later.

Here’s the solution to all the controversy over full-body scanners at the Airports:

Have a booth that you can step into that will not x-ray you, but will detonate any explosive device you may have on your body. It would be a win-win for everyone, and there would be none of this crap about racial profiling and this method would eliminate a long and expensive trial.Justice would be quick and swift.

This is so simple that it’s brilliant. I can see it now. You’re in the Airport terminal and you hear a muffled explosion.

Shortly thereafter an announcement comes over the PA system, “Attention! Standby passengers. We now have a seat available on flight number 4665 ….Paging maintenance. Shop Vac needed in booth number 4.”

Probably to more extent then given credit for, having these things deters many from trying to get into airplanes with dangerous stuff. Kind of like concealed carry permits and the criminal not knowin if the person that they are going to try to harm has a gun on. That though also leads to more nervous police officers when approaching anyone.

SUPPORTING MEMBER

BobWest Nyack Aviation, L.L.C. New York, New York - East Hampton, New York & Warwick, New York 631.374.9652rkittine@aol.com WA2YDV

A federal air marshal was arrested Thursday morning at Nashville International Airport after being caught taking multiple upskirt pictures of female passengers boarding a plane, police said.

A witness spotted 28-year-old Adam Bartsch, who was on duty, taking pictures with his cell phone underneath women's dresses, police said. The witness grabbed Bartsch's phone and notified a Southwest Airlines flight attendant, a police report said.Airport police removed Bartsch from the flight and took him into custody.

According to the police report, Bartsch said he snapped 10 to 12 inappropriate pictures, something he said he had done before. He was charged with disorderly conduct and held on $10,000 bail.

The Transportation Security Administration said it is assisting authorities with the investigation."TSA does not tolerate criminal behavior. The agency immediately removed this individual from his current duties and is in the process of suspending or terminating his employment."

In an e-mail to CNN, Southwest Airlines spokesman Chris Mainz said the flight, to Tampa, Florida, was not delayed by the incident.

The TSA says it's unlikely security processes at U.S. airports will change much following the shooting at LAX on Friday. The agency said in a statement that "passengers may see an increased presence of local law enforcement officers throughout the country" but there are no immediate plans to arm security staff or change procedures. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Paul Anthony Ciancia remains in hospital with four gunshot wounds he sustained after he allegedly entered Terminal 3 at LAX early Friday with an assault rifle and started shooting, killing one TSA officer and wounding three others. After moving past the screening area, Ciancia was tracked by airport police took him down in a gun fight Ciancia was taken into custody and delivered to UCLA medical center.

Security experts are pointing out that the screening areas are designed to keep weapons and explosives off airplanes and that there is no way to guard against random violent acts like this. They point out that security is expensive and budgets are limited so preventing this kind of incident is difficult. Evidence collected from Ciancia suggests he was disgruntled with the government although it's unclear why he specifically targeted TSA screeners. One witness who spoke with reporters at NBC news stated that he attempted to hide but was found by the gunman who asked the witness if he was with the TSA. When the witness replied that he was not with the TSA, the gunman left. A ground stop was put in place at the airport until 4 p.m. local time, causing a ripple of delays for carriers throughout the country. Multiple sources have said that Ciancia has been linked to the Los Angeles area and New Jersey.

I saw Captain last night in the movies and though they took a lot of liberties with the story of the Somali Privates and Captain Phillips, I don't get why they did not allow the carrying (with adequate training) of weapons on these ships that operate in these waters. From what I have seen or many TSA employees, I would not want them having guns, but maybe a select few or what they said about keeping regular police presents near the choke points at all times, especially the screening area.

SUPPORTING MEMBER

BobWest Nyack Aviation, L.L.C. New York, New York - East Hampton, New York & Warwick, New York 631.374.9652rkittine@aol.com WA2YDV

A number of the Alaska communities I like to frequent have crazy people and anti-everything folks of all ages carrying firearms of all shapes and sizes. It's funny how people open up and learn manners and politeness when you know everyone is armed. Instead of folks being scared and selfish, they are helpful and concerned about their fellow man..I think everyone legal to carry a weapon does so. The "Golden Rule" works to the tenth degree when you know anybody who is wronged can make things right.